Ennore: Where industrial growth has made life difficult for residents Premium

Residents of Ennore struggle with pollution, impacting health and livelihoods, while demanding government intervention and industry accountability.

“Don’t ask what problems Ennore has — ask what problems it doesn’t have,” says a resident, beginning a long conversation about the area he loves, yet hates to see becoming increasingly unlivable day by day.

A highly industrialised region of north Chennai, Ennore and its coastal areas have been bearing the brunt of pollution and its impact for several decades. Residents struggle with pollution on a day-to-day basis, but it gains widespread attention only when a major incident occurs. For example, in December 2023, Ennore witnessed two massive environmental hazards that reflected the residents’ decades-long struggles: an oil spill from a public sector refinery during Cyclone Michaung, and an ammonia leak from a fertiliser manufacturing unit.

K. Devaki, who has been living in Sathyavani Muthu Nagar since 1975, said that when she first moved to the area, the water quality was very poor, and she had to fetch water from two kilometres away. “If you take a look at the teeth of my son and daughter, you will understand the impact of polluted water; it turned yellow due to excessive fluoride in water. We struggle with hairfall too. Due to constant inhalation of polluted air, thanks to industrial emissions, many of us have developed breathing difficulty and respiratory issues,” said the 69-year-old.

Bhagathsingh, a resident of Ulaganathapuram in Ennore, said their experiences with pollution seem endless — whether it is fly ash from thermal power plants, ammonia leaks from the undersea pipeline of the fertiliser company, or, most recently, yellow and orange residue observed in the backwaters, likely some kind of effluent.

“While industrial development progressed rapidly in and around Ennore, improvements in basic amenities, infrastructure, and transport did not happen at the same pace for residents. This lackadaisical attitude exists largely because Ennore is home to a working-class population. The second generation of families in Ennore is slowly moving out to the city, with pollution being the main factor. Industrial pollution has impacted the health of many,” he said.

A number of residents said they were even thinking of selling their houses and moving to a safer place. Manohar, a resident of Nehru Nagar in Ennore, said that air and water pollution remains the top two concerns for residents. “There used to be dust emissions from factories in the morning and smoke billowing out of chimneys at night. The effluents from factories have been causing health issues,” he said, adding that the groundwater is unfit for drinking in many parts of Ennore.

Like Mr. Manohar, several residents of Sathyavani Muthu Nagar noted that while they rely on Metrowater supply for drinking purposes, the groundwater cannot be used even for bathing. “Sometimes, if we keep the water in a container, we can see a layer of oil on top of it,” a resident pointed out.